The future of TV and advertising and why we should be excited

In order to delve into this we first need to divorce content and platform. Content has evolved significantly in the past 10 years, and right now, the TV platform is undergoing a major revolution that will change consumer behaviour.

Consider this...

While everyone is screaming the future is in digital, consider this scene for a minute:
You're at home watching your favourite TV show in perhaps five years from now. Of course, your TV is the stock standard Smart TV. You see a handbag you like the look of worn by the main character in the show. You hold up your hand and say STOP!

The picture freezes and your hand becomes a pointer on the screen. You point to the bag and with a flick of the wrist, you drag it into the corner of your screen that then displays the bag's specs and lists the stores stocking this fine accessory.

Perhaps your phone even then geo-locates your nearest store that offers you a promotion to buy it there. You pay for the bag and you carry on watching the show.

Far-fetched? The reality is that it's right around the corner.

Adapt or cry

The bag scenario equals zero interruptions for advertisers. If we consider that for a second, it feels that the future of marketers and advertisers is going to have to move fast, because right now it could be said that interruptive advertising is what currently underpins the advertising and marketing communications industry. This means that brands and ad agencies must adapt their thinking now and adopt new skills if they want to be as strong in a post-interruptive era.

To capitalise on the scenario above, brands would need solid systems and platforms in place that align their content, products, promotions and data coordinated across a multitude of platforms.

While this major shift won't happen overnight it will happen, and it will happen faster and with more impact than it did with the print industry because the infrastructure is all there - more ready to go now than it was when the web took out the newsstand.